The rotary is not dead. Meet the Demio EV

The rotary engine is back. Sort of.

As the amps flow out under hard acceleration, a switch is flipped internally, and, for the first time in years, a new Mazda rotary engine roars to life.
Well, it is only a 330 cc single rotor. Let's say it meows.

Still, there's no mistaking the whirring burble emanating from the air-dammed back of this Demio compact car-better known as the Mazda 2 in the US market.
Nor would it be possible to miss the slogan lettered down its tiny flanks: "RE Range Extender by Rotary Engine." The rotary is back, and it's more Pikachu
than panther.

As a company mostly helmed by engineers, Mazda does things a little differently. Where bean counters might have abandoned the modest torque and not the
inconsiderable thirstiness of the rotary engine, the company's directors seem obsessed with finding a way to cram their triangle-powered engine into
something, anything.

What they've done here is quite clever and utilizes the rotary's compact nature. Taking a scaled-down version of half of an RX8 engine and laying it on its
side, Mazda's engineers have created a self-contained range-extending pack. It's about the size of two synthesizers stacked atop each other and contains a
belt-drive transmission, a 9-liter fuel tank, a generator, and the tiny, 30 hp rotary engine.

Mazda builds an electric version of their Demio for the Japanese market and does so only because they have to. California's CARB regulations will require a
minimum number of EVs to be produced by each manufacturer, though you get the sense that Mazda would rather spend the R&D dollars on chasing the high
compression capabilities of their Skyactiv four-cylinders.

The 100 or so electric Demios Mazda sold last year are more development test bed- than production-ready machines, but the 100 hp engine makes just as much
power as the ordinary gasoline engine and much more torque. The car is also only 330 lbs heavier than the gas powered micro-Mazda, and installing the
Panasonic-sourced battery and electric engine hasn't reduced what carrying capacity the car has.

The problem seems to be range. Capable of going 125 miles on a charge, according to Japanese driving cycle testing, the Demio EV still doesn't have long
enough legs according to Mazda's customer feedback. Strapping the rotary power pack underneath the rear trunk involves losing the spare tire, plugging into
the cooling and electric connections, adding 220 lbs to the curb weight, and essentially doubling the car's effective range.

As the battery is depleted, the 30 hp rotary spins into action, charging the battery at a constant 4500 rpm. While there's no Skyactiv multi-port injection
going on here, the engine is capable of running on a range of fuels, and Mazda even has thoughts of scaling the system down further to operate as a
portable emergency generator.

Inside the car, which is equipped with a hilariously large, red kill switch where the navigation should go, it's hard to hear the range extender kick in.
Acceleration is similar to a Nissan Leaf with instant-on torque, but as the actual test drive was limited to just two laps of a parking lot, handling
couldn't really be evaluated.

However, the regenerative brakes weren't at all grabby, and while this version is a full 20 percent heavier than a standard Mazda 2, some nippiness could
still be felt through the steering. As the range extender fits nicely between the rear suspension, the weight is low-down and balanced.

Though not production-ready by any means and with an unknown pricetag, think of this little machine as a potential cut-price BMW i3. In some ways, it feels
like a compliance car, but adding a little rotary sauce to the electric vehicle makes sense.